


Sleepless Nights

by Rumpabumbum



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Refers to past canon events, Sansa doesn't run off with Littlefinger after Joffrey's death, Tyrion isn't immediately arrested
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 01:12:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7664545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumpabumbum/pseuds/Rumpabumbum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following Joffrey's death, Sansa still sees him in her nightmares. She goes outside to drink, but no one should drink alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless Nights

Wine numbed it. The moment Sansa awoke from the constant nightmare, she did as she always did: snuck into her husband’s wine collection and took a bottle to sit in the courtyard.

She perched herself on the small wall beside the fountain. A cool breeze caressed her face, reminding her of midsummer back home. She dearly missed home. She missed brushing her mother’s hair, flirting with the neighbor boys, playing with the other girls around the castle. She missed Bran and Rickon and Robb. Even Arya and Jon.

What did it matter? They were gone. Dead. All she had was her handmaiden.

Sansa wasn’t sure when the tears started to fall, but when they did, they didn’t stop. As tired as she was, she was afraid to go back to sleep. His face always appeared when she slept. She couldn’t bare to see it anymore.

The soft click of shoes against the hard ground startled Sansa. She wiped her eyes, desperate to avoid appearing childish in front of the King’ s Guard again.

She looked up, preparing to negotiate with the soldiers. Instead, she saw Margaery’s smiling face illuminated by soft candlelight.

“My lady, what are you doing here?” asked Sansa. She tried to hide the bottle of wine behind her. The one person in King’s Landing who thought highly of her shouldn’t know the levels she'd sunk to.

“Sansa, we’re friends. Far past the point of 'my lady',” said Margaery. She sat down next to Sansa, placing the candle on the stone next to her. “In fact, I believe we’ve reached the point where we should make up silly nicknames for each other. You will be the Red Fox. Now do me.”

Sansa glanced down. “I’m, uh, not particularly good at this sort of thing.” Her eyes flicked between Margaery and the ground while Margaery patiently awaited her response. “Perhaps I should go back to bed,” she said at last.

Sansa began to stand, but stopped as Margaery grabbed her hand. “Wait. Please stay. I could use the company. And a drink maybe,” she smiled. Sansa completely forgot about the wine she brought out with her.

She hesitated, but sat back down. “You never said why you came out here,” said Sansa.

Margaery picked up the wine bottle and took a sip. “Clever girl. You saw through my distractions. With Queen mother’s wailing and screeching, I couldn’t sleep. So, I figured that I would walk around the castle and hopefully she would cry herself to sleep by the time I returned.” Margaery took another sip. “Really I haven’t slept well since Joffrey died. Not that I miss him. But his mother won’t stop crying. And if she’s not crying, she’s screaming about wanting her imp of a brother beheaded.”

Sansa nodded. Only by the grace of Ser Jaime had her husband not been thrown into prison. Cersei was out for his blood, and Sansa knew it was only a matter of time. She couldn’t bare to think of what would happen to her without Tyrion.

“I haven’t slept much either lately,” whispered Sansa. Snippets of her nightmares flashed behind her eyes. She took the wine back from Margaery and swallowed a gulp, hoping to chase the demons away.

The burning in her throat felt good. Sansa took another gulp. Then another. She poured it until her eyes watered and would have continued had the bottle not been yanked from her grasp. She gasped for air. The cool of it stung against her tingling throat.

Margaery stroked her hair and Sansa could no longer hold back her tears. Sansa laid her head on Margaery’s shoulder and cried.

“Ssshhh,” whispered Margaery. “Sweet girl, it will be alright.”

Sansa hiccuped, slowing the sobs. She sat up and reached for the bottle sitting on the other side of Margaery. Margaery gently held back Sansa’s hand.

“Wine is a drink for celebration and reminiscence Sansa. Not for…this,” said Margaery. “What is it that you dream about, sweet girl?”

Sansa breathed deeply. “When I close my eyes I see Joffrey. I see him holding up my father’s head, laughing at me, mocking me. When I sleep, he’s always there. Serving me my brother’s head on a tray. Beating me as I watch Theon burn my other brothers. Before you came there was a riot. I was nearly raped. I see his face on every man who attacked me. He’s watching me, and he’s forcing himself upon me. And no one saves me. Not this time. I wish I was dead. And when I wake up, I wish I had never been born.” Her voice shook by then end, sobs forming in her throat once more.

Margaery held her the whole time. After a moment of silence she said, “I once told you that I wanted to be sisters with you, but you mean more to me than a sister, Sansa. You told me the truth about Joffrey. You’ve shown me kindness while the whole kingdom has shown you cruelty. If you want to wish someone was never born, wish Joffrey was never born, or Cersei for that matter. The world would be a much worse place, though, if you were never born.”

Sansa looked Margaery in the eyes. They brimmed with sincerity. No one spoke sincerely to her anymore. “Is that true?”

Margaery laughed. “Oh, darling, this world is full of monsters and beasts. But you’re not one of them. You’re good. Pure. Don’t let the Queen Regent or the vile people of the world push you down. You have to stand and push through it. And I’ll help you. Every step of the way, I will be there Sansa. Trust me.”

Sansa nodded. She and Margaery shared one more drink before she went back to bed.

When she slept the rest of the night, she dreamed of Highgarden’s exotic lilies and orchids and the Rose it had gifted her with as she remained in King’s Landing.


End file.
